Refrigerator door

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator door of joint parts, an outer shell, an inner door lining and heat insulation. A top frame part and a bottom frame part have a bushing at their ends for a pivot pin or a hinge, the bushing being insertable in a sleeve on a side part of the frame. Thus, the refrigerator door is fabricated at a lower cost than previous similar constructions.

This invention relates to a refrigerator door having a frame of joinedparts, an outer shell, an inner door lining and a heat insulation.

Doors which have been in existence for a long time usually have severalmetal members which are, for example, fabricated of aluminum, as well asvarious attachment means and special fittings for the door hinges. Manyrefrigerators are provided with hinge fittings at both vertical sides ofthe door so that the buyer can choose whether the hinges should be atthe right or at the left side of the door. Therefore, special fittingshave to be attached to the four corners of the door. Further includedare an outer shell, an inner door lining and possibly also special doorhandles. Such a door calls for much work in assembling all the partsincluded and in some cases also laquering of the frame in a specialdevice for the purpose. In the latter case additional costs fortransport to and from the laquering device and through it are involved.As a result, the door will be comparatively expensive in manufacture.

The object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator door at a lowercost than earlier. This can be achieved according to the invention in adoor whose top and bottom frame parts at their ends have a bushing for apivot pin of a hinge, the bushing being insertible in a sleeve on a sidepart of the frame.

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to arefrigerator door shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the door.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through the door on the line II--II of FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a similar vertical section on the line III--III of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section through a part of the handle on the lineIV--IV of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section through the door frame on the line V--Vof FIG. 1.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are two different perspective views of one end of a loweror an upper frame part.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views of each end of a side part of theframe.

FIG. 10 shows an upper frame corner, seen from the front, and

FIG. 11 shows the same frame corner, seen from behind, in both caseswithout outer shell and inner door lining.

The refrigerator door shown in the Figures comprises a frame with a toppart 10, an inverted bottom part 11 of equal shape, a side part 12 tothe left and an inverted side part 13 of equal shape to the right.Before these parts are joined a front plate 14 and a handle part 15 areinserted in the frame.

In the vertical section of FIG. 2 the top part 10, the side part 13, thefront plate 14 and the handle part 15 are seen. The latter is shownseparately in FIG. 4 in which it can be seen that it has a recess 16, 17which extends obliquely inwards and has a grip edge 18, 19. When thehinges of the door are on the right side, the edge 19 is used to openand close the door and when the hinges are on the left side of the doorthe edge 18 is used.

On the inner face of the frame a sealing strip 20 is arranged with aflange 21 between an inner frame flange 22 and an inner door lining 23.The sealing strip 20 is elastic and includes in a known manner amagnetic strip 24. The parts are joined, for example by polyurethanewhich is foamed in situ in the door.

FIG. 3 shows the same parts as FIG. 1 but in another section whichextends through the recess 16 in the handle part 15 with grip edge 18.

In FIGS. 6-9 the corners of the door are shown in different views. Thus,FIG. 6 is a perspective view interiorly of the lower left corner or theupper right corner of the door of FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is the same cornerseen from the exterior. Thus it appears from FIG. 7 that the top andbottom frame parts have holes 25 in the frame part 10 or 11 in a partformed as a bearing bushing 26 interiorly of the frame. The bushing 26is in the shape of a cylinder, the hole 25 being intended to receive abearing pin. The cylinder has a bottom 27 with an aperture 28. The frameparts are die-casted of a suitable plastics material and are so shapedthat the top and the bottom frame parts 10, 11, extend around thecorners of the frame. The frame parts have a front flange 29 with joints30 between the parts and situated on the vertical sides (FIG. 1) of theframe. Vertical parts 31 at either end of the top and the bottom frameparts form part of the vertical sides of the frame and have an innerstep 32. The side parts 12, 13 are of similar shape. Both ends of aframe part are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The end of the side part 12 shownin FIG. 8 fits to that end of the top frame part 10 which is shown inFIG. 6. At its end the side part 12 has a projecting sleeve 33 in whichthe bushing 26 of the top part is insertible on joining of the parts.Exteriorly, the side parts 12, 13 form an angle, as is best seen in FIG.9, with an exterior step 34. The frame parts can thus be joined with avery stable fit. Safe fixing of the parts can be obtained by means of ascrew 35 or other attachment through the aperture 28 in the bottom 27 ofthe bushing 26 and a hole 36 in the side part of the frame.

Inside of the front flange 29 of the frame parts a reinforcing flange 37is provided. Between the flange 37 and the front flange 29 there isformed a groove 38 for the exterior front plate 14 and also for a handlepart 15, if such a part is used.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show to an enlarged scale an upper frame corner withoutouter shell and door lining. In FIG. 10, which shows the frame seen fromthe front, the dashed lines indicate a bushing 26 and a screw 35 runningtherein and threaded in the hole 36 in the side part 12 of the frame.The same parts seen from behind or from the inside of the door appear inFIG. 11.

I claim:
 1. A refrigerator door having a frame of joined parts, an outershell, an inner door lining and heat insulation, characterized in that atop frame part (10) and a bottom frame part (11) at their ends having abushing (26) for a pivot pin of a hinge, the bushing (26) beinginsertible in a sleeve (33) on a side part (12,13) of the frame.
 2. Adoor according to claim 1, characterized in that each one of the bushing(26) and the sleeve (33) has a bottom (27) with a hole (28,36) for ascrew (35).
 3. A door according to claim 1, characterized in that thetop part (10) and the bottom part (11) of the frame are of equal shape.4. A door according to claim 1, characterized in that the two side parts(12,13) of the frame are of equal shape.
 5. A door according to claim 1,characterized in that the frame parts (10-13) are moulded of plastics.6. A door according to claim 1, characterized in that the frame parts(10-13) form four door sides and have a front flange (29) at such adistance from the bushings (26) that a groove (38) for a front plate(14) is formed.
 7. A door according to claim 6, characterized in that apart of the front plate (14) is replaced by a handle part (15) having agroove facing the plate (14) and corresponding to the groove in theframe (10-13).